Rice trade in Vietnam, the world's second-largest exporter after Thailand, is expected to remain slow until early February due to a government ban on new export deals to ensure sufficient food supply, traders said.

"Aside from government contracts, the market is very quiet for private exporters as the ban is still in place and likely to be extended until the end of January," a trader in commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City said yesterday.

The government banned the signing of new export deals in October to protect national food supplies after storms damaged crops in the northern and central regions.

"We only expect business to really pick up from early February," the trader added.